cold shadows
by deltaranger79
Summary: betraly and chaos run rampat through the ranks of the god emperor
1. Chapter 1

Dark shadows.

How did it come to this?

The ground was frosted over as it always was. There was a thick smell in the air like a rotting carcass, the scientists said it was the backed up sewage system that the town had. It was never meant to hold the sort of output a regiment of guard made. The town itself was a small new settlement that usually held about 500 people, but now it was empty. A ghost town, when they planet had stopped sending the yearly tithes to the emperor the guard were sent out. And this is what they found an empty husk of what once used to be a happy and bright village. He was one of the first down a scouting party to see why no one answered the hails from space. When they landed there was nothing around, no animals no people not even a dead body to make it seem like a raid had happened. Now he was sitting in a small bunker that they had built doing his shift on watch waiting for something anything to happen.

From his view he could see about 100 meters of clear ground until the land suddenly became a rocky outcropping with tall ash grey trees. Even the landscape seemed dead and ghostly. Sitting next to him was his companion and fellow corporal Dillon. Ever since the training fields they had been close friends always working better together than any other pair. And now they were out on this bleak piece of land playing would be detectives.

Dillon moved a bit in his slumped position, sleeping and waiting for his shift to start. Cameron (Dillon calls him Hobbes) watched out making a ever sweeping gave on the ground turning his head from one bunker on his left to the one on his right making sure everything was still as dull and grey as it was before. Dillon snorted. Cameron looked back out over his back and out the bunkers door seeing the village again. It was a stained yellow and all the buildings had huge trappings over them proclaiming love for the emperor and the owners of the buildings. The once cheer full banners now made the town seem even more ghostly, they had been battered in the wind and now were torn in corners cutting of prayers in mid sentence or just making it all seem older than it could possibly be. Dillon snorted again.

Cameron looked back out across the waste land returning to his boring duty knowing it was only another 20 minutes until Dillon would share the same fate. But this time he stopped mid head turn. What was that? It looked a small black blob against the grey rocky outcropping. He groped around behind him looking for his rifle, but more importantly the sight on the rifle not daring to look away from the blob lest it move. Finally his fingers wrapped around the cold comforting steel of the barrel and he brought it up to his shoulder. Looking down the sight he aimed for the blob, but it was gone. Instead of the blob there was a small puff of dust. As if disturbed by movement.

Cameron leaned over and nudged Dillon. "Hey man I just saw something I don't know what the hell it was but something was out there". Dillon snorted again. This time Cameron kicked Dillon which he in turn replied with a loud yelp. "God emperor what the hell do you want?" 'I saw something" said Cameron "big whoop it's probably an animal or something" Dillon said settling back down as if to go back to sleep. "Have you seen any fething animals out here since we landed?" Cameron said looking back out the gun slit scoping the area he saw the black thing "well maybe it was a patrol out there doing some recon" suggested Dillon. He reached over and grabbed a data slate and threw it at Cameron who looked it over "there isn't any patrols out for another day. This is some scary stuff man im gonna call it in" said Cameron. "are you crazy???" said Dillon "if you call it in we are gonna hafta go out in the creepy waste land and try and confirm your spooky 'thing' and I for one don't want to move just yet" Dillon was right and Cameron sure as hell didn't want to go out there without any good reason.

20 minutes later he and Dillon were slowly walking across the wasteland to the spot, Cameron in front and Dillon in the rear cursing a little bit louder than he should on a recon.

When they got the spot nothing was there it was just like the rocks all around it grey bleak and depressing. As if to make the mood even worse Dillon chipped back in "ok where the hell is this phantom black thing you saw? I don't even see foot prints it looks like nothing has been here for years" Cameron rounded to snap off something rather rude and nasty to Dillon when he spotted it on the ground. At first he thought it was a smudge but when he looked again it became clearer. He stepped towards it. "What now?" moaned Dillon? "Look" said Cameron bending down to it. At first he couldn't understand what it was until he stared at it for a good few seconds. His sharp intake of breath was enough to quiet even Dillon's complaints. On the ground was a boot print but where the toe should have ended 3 claw marks took its place in a scraping look. "We better call it in Dillon" "yea" said Dillon with a worried look on his face. "I think we should"

Later on in the day they had a whole squad of shock troops there in a defensive perimeter shot guns leveled and ready. One of the higher ups was leaning over the foot print looking deeply concerned. "What exactly did you see corporal?" he asked getting up from the foot print. "I told you it was just a black… blob, it was like I couldn't make it out, then when I got my scope up it was just gone that's when we called it in and came out to check it." The officer looked puzzled "what do you mean a, blob?" "I told you it was just kind of a roundish black thing too far out for me to see with my eye and when I could it was gone." The officer didn't look convinced "had you had anything to drink? Were you eating any of the villager's food? How long had you been on watch duty?" the officer fired off questions like rounds from a bolt gun, direct and painful. "I wasn't hallucinating sir! I saw it I know I did I just don't know what it was" Cameron didn't like the way this was going. "Ok then I wants you and Corporal Dillon to go on a 24 hour break go get some sleep eat some good food and relax this has been a bit stressful on us all."

Cameron couldn't believe what he was saying. That was it they would just leave this and go back to watching and waiting hoping the villagers would just walk back and explain where they had been for so long. Cameron shook his head and started to walk back to the village. "Are you just going to let this slide Hobbes?" asked Dillon worry plain on his face. "I have to if they don't deem it worthy of checking out any farther than it can't be very big" Cameron was defeated. Dillon looked ready to protest on his behalf but Cameron put an arm around his shoulder. "Don't. You were asleep remember? You have even less credibility than me" Dillon slowly walked along with Cameron realizing that it was true and nothing he did would change the way this was handled.

24 hours later they were back in their bunker listening to the guardsmen in the middle of the village laughing and joking. Dillon was back on the ground mumbling how they just got brushed aside but Cameron wasn't listening he was focusing on the landscape with his night vision on. He wanted to find the thing again and he wanted to prove he wasn't crazy. But know matter how much he looked all he saw was those dam rocks and trees just so grey and cold and bleak. They left nothing to the imagination and all seemed to look alike making the whole outcropping seem like a repeat of itself.

When it was Dillon's turn Cameron sat on the floor cuddling his rifle and slowly he fell into and uncomfortable sleep. In his dreams he saw shadows moving about dark and threatening yet always out of sight. As if the bodies belonging to the shadows were detached and somewhere else. Some of them came close almost brushing against him, their very presence made him cold to the bone and made him want to scream, but he couldn't his mouth was gone now just skin over bone. He grabbed and pulled at the skin trying to tear it free so he could speak but nothing happened. As he was thrashing the shadows got closer and closer enveloping him and swallowing him whole. Then all a sudden his world burst into light and sound.

At first his eyes were bleary and the sound seemed distant and UN threatening until it washed back in a torrent of senses. Dillon was over him screaming and outside the gun slit was strobing blinding white and a deathly pale red.

"Get up man we're under attack!" shouted Dillon. He was then back up to the firing slit sending a clip of las charges down to the rocks in a wash of red. "wWhothe hell is attacking and where are they?" screamed Cameron over the roar of heavier weaponry "I don't know I was just sitting there and all of a sudden one of the bunkers just started firing and the com lines were flooded with orders to fire" Cameron looked out to the rock outcroppings. With all the lights he couldn't see anything. So he looked with his scope switching between night and motion because his thermal would be useless with all of the laser burns on rocks and such. Or so he thought. When he switched to the thermal he saw a blob again but it wasn't red or yellow with the beat from blasts it was deep blue colder than the vacuum of space. All around it was glowing from the impacts of blasts. Cameron took careful aim and shot the blob. The deep blue didn't change color but moved. Back down and then behind a rock. "I don't like this Dillon" stated Cameron rising up from his rifle


	2. chapter 2 the smell

Chapter 2

The smell

All through the night an investigation was going on. Apparently one of the men in the bunker that fired first fell asleep and set of a loose round. After that they thought they were under attack and continued firing which brought in more orders to fire. As Cameron and Dillon watched they realized that command was very messed up. If they couldn't even handle a simple accidental discharge what would happen in a full out attack. Cameron never reported the cold blob that he shot instead he only told Dillon being that at the moment he was the only one that he trusted.

"Wow. I don't know I never heard of an animal or enemy that was that could or could take a blast and simply rush away" Dillon sat at the firing slit again watching out over the land. "Hey look at it this way" he said earlier "at least now we have some knew land to look at. See if you can find shapes in all the blast holes" Dillon suggested which didn't help Cameron any. He was truly disturbed and none of the officers seemed to care. Earlier in the mess Cameron had heard that the troop ship in orbit was going to a near by system to pick up more troops to help reinforce the garrison on the ground. And to top it all off there was still that horrible stench. Not it had sunken into everything. The clothes the food even his weapon seemed to smell of backed up sewage.

All patrols to the perimeter had been canceled now to. Instead they added more bunkers doubling the number they already had and had watches going in each bunker at all times, the officers now made it a court martial offence to fall asleep on watch.

Cameron sat with Dillon in the back of the bunker sitting on the built in cots cleaning their rifles. 2 grizzled old veterans sat watch at the gun slit making little to no effort to actually keep watch over the outcropping. They had no sense of humor and wouldn't even talk to Cameron or Dillon when they came in. "stuck up old fools" commented Dillon as the passed by. Now that they weren't having to keep watch Cameron and Dillon talked a little bit more freely and loudly. Talking of home and how life would be different if they hadn't joined the guard.

"I probably would have been a farmer if I hadn't joined" said Dillon "you? You moan and complain when we have to walk 100 meters to check out something how could you have survived plowing fields and picking crops all day?" Cameron said while furiously working the bolt of his rifle. "I didn't say I would pick it or anything" said Dillon with a smile "I would hire cheap labor to do all the work with me and reap the profits" Dillon leaned back with a smug look on his face "ah I see" said Cameron still rubbing at the bolt trying to disgorge a piece of dirt that smelt horribly of sewage. "so were would you have gotten all this money to hire people and how would you get money for your crops without getting off your lazy rear" Dillon stopped looking so smug and frowned realizing he hadn't thought of everything. Cameron smiled knowing he just made Dillon out to be a fool, now if only this chunk of dirt would come off. Suddenly it gave way. It just flopped off and on to his cot with a sickening wet splat.

When he and Dillon looked at it he realized it didnt look like dirt at all but instead it seemed to be a pinkish thing with what looked like a .. "holy feth it's a bloody finger part!!" screamed Dillon. As Cameron looked he saw it to. The blood from the piece of skin was slowly seeping into his cot leaving a horrible stench, a stench like the one that surrounded the village. "Hobbes I don't know what the hell is going on but im scared like no other"

By this time one of the veterans had walked back to the cots. He calmly picked up the skin of a finger and threw it out the gun slit. "cowards. You probably just sliced it off last night when you were humping around trying to fire at nothing" the veteran grinned to his comment and sat back down to grimace some more with his friend. Dillon and Cameron turned to look at each other still unsure of how to act. Dillon broke the tension first. "if I ever become like that please shoot me." Despite what had just happened Cameron couldn't help but smile.

Later when the veterans had been gathered back at the HQ leaving the bunker to Cameron and Dillon they began talking again. "do you really think that's what happened?" asked Dillon. Cameron looked away from the slit to look at Dillon. "do you see any missing fingerprints on these?" Cameron held both hands fingers outstretched to emphasize the point. "I suppose not. But then how? I mean bits of peoples bodies don't just appear out of nowhere." Cameron looked back out the slit as if there was an answer out there. " I don't know, but I think there is a place we might be able to find an answer at" Dillon looked puzzled at this comment. "what do you mean, somewhere?" "I mean" said Cameron "that we should go looking at those sewers" Dillon looked even more puzzled. "I don't get it what do the sewers have to do with it?" "Haven't u noticed? It doesn't smell like an ork turd out here does it? It smells like rotting bodies. Remember that siege on Calahan IX? When the chaos left all the dead in front of the gates to try and scare us? It's the exact same smell!" this got Dillon's attention as he began to remember "you don't think maybe there's something down there do you?" Cameron didn't answer afraid of the possibilities himself.

As they sat yet another watch over the outcropping the vets that were in their bunker earlier rapped on the steel door in the back. The one who flung the bit of skin out the slit stepped in and stood tall over the 2 of them. " we are going out on a recon tonight. Apparently they have been seeing more of your blobs." Cameron didn't know how to take this, was it an insult? Or a recognition that he was right? Before he could as any questions the vet spoke again. " there's going to about 30 of us out there so hold your fire on the perimeter. If you see something out there call it in to the channel 317 on ur com and for emperors sake make sure its not us if your going to shoot." With that the vet ducked back out the bolt hole and went on to the next bunker to presumably give the same info to the next group.

"see." Said Cameron "they are taking my find seriously. Their sending out a patrol to try and find the "blobs" Dillon looked at Cameron smiling "yea at least if they come in contact with any enemy their cold humorless banter will send the running to the hills"

when the vets did leave it was a quiet and dark occasion. A line of 30 men silently slipped into the night. The only way Cameron knew it was them was because he saw them with his thermal scope. The group wore all black but covered with the ash grey dust on the ground. They smeared it over all shiny surfaces and any off colored items making them blend with the ground. Once the vets got to the outcropping they spread into an arrow head formation and moved with deadly accuracy into the rocks leaving no sign of their passing.

For hours Cameron and Dillon watched hoping for a sign of the recon group. But nothing happened. The rocks stayed grey. The land did not move. And the smell lingered giving the impression that a dead body was always watching over your shoulder. When morning light broke Cameron was about to call in a request on the recon group when all of a sudden a scream burst out over the com unit. It wasn't a scream of fear or pain but a distorted warped scream that made the com box fizzle and begin to smoke. All of a sudden the scream ended just as it started. The only sound was the com fizzling and the smell of smoke in the bunker. Then Cameron saw him.

At first it looked like another black blob and Cameron was about to shoot it. Until he looked down his scope at the figure. It was the veteran that was so crude to him and Dillon. "Feth! What happened to him?' screamed Cameron. As Dillon bent down to look through his scope Cameron rushed out the door with his come running to go and help the vet. As Cameron ran across the ground he could hear his heart pounding in his ears, playing a musical beat with his feet making him fear what wasn't happening. The beat grew louder and louder in his head until he dropped to his knees and threw his hands over his ears trying to shut out the noise. He screamed in pain as his ear began to bleed. The pain was so intense his eyes went blurry and he became dizzy. He could see the blurry outline of the vet in front of him staggering towards Cameron swaying gently as if ready to topple. When the vet was right in front of Cameron the pain and sound stopped and he could finally see the once proud and arrogant veteran.

His uniform and flack jacket were ripped as if by giant claws. His arm and half of his face was black from what looked like frostbite. But what was most disturbing was that his eyes were gone. There wasn't any gapping holes or bloody marks where they had been, just 2 sunken sockets of skin as if they had never been there. Cameron reached up and grabbed the veteran before he tripped over his lass rifle. When he held on to him the veteran looked into Cameron's eyes with those empty sockets and whispered to him. "They came from the shadows. They were so cold so cold. They took the rest and let me go. They want me to tell you they are watching always watching." With this the veteran collapsed on the ground dragging Cameron to the ground with him.

Dillon was now pounding out to where Cameron and the veteran lay. His face was stricken with worry. All a sudden Dillon stopped and shouted "hobbes get the hel out of there now!!!!" Cameron was confused until he looked back at the outcrop. He saw the black things now, still a blob un identifiable but now there was many of them all standing in front of the rocks all staring. Cameron didn't know if they had eyes but he knew they were staring. He hefted the veteran up onto one of his shoulders and began to drag him back to the bunker. With his other army he fired at the black blobs.

The red of his lasers collided with one of the blobs and turned a black and then disappeared. Still Cameron fired and fired until his rifle went dry. By this time Dillon was there firing at the blobs screaming into a com box. Then the world erupted around the 2 of them. Heavy emplacement guns burst with titanic explosions tearing up the ground around the blobs the heavy lasers turning the ashy ground to glass and making the rock out cropping to rubble. The fire power was awe inspiring a legendary amount of disciplined fire poured on with accurate gunners. The black things reeled from the blows making them fall back and into the rocks. By this time Cameron and Dillon had the vet in their bunker and began firing their own rifles into whatever they could see. And just as it started it stopped. The weapons ceased fire by an order over the raido. Now all but one of the black things was gone. This one stood halfway between the outcrop and the bunkers.

What Cameron saw was as vivid as any nightmare he had ever had. It was 8 feet tall and built like a space marine. The armor was black with frost all over it. It had no true symbols or anything on it just the frozen armor. As it stood the world around it made a slow and quite moaning noise as if the air itself was being tortured with its presence. Then the frozen thing turned and walked away leaving great frozen puddles of dirt in its wake. It vanished into the outcropping and the rest of the day was as quiet and dead as it had been on the first day they had been here.

All through the night and well into the next day the air moaned and cried out leaving a bone chilling song in each mans heart. The vet had been taken to the infirmary and was being treated for his frostbite and missing eyes. The doctors knew that he would die from his wounds though. It was still a mystery as to how his eyes had been removed like they were. Personally Cameron didn't want to know.


	3. Chapter 3 the missing villagers

Chapter 3

the missing vialgers

Over the next few days the camp was on full alert sweeping the area with night vision and thermals letting nothing escape its gaze. The village itself was slowly being torn down and being made into fortified buildings with alleys between them that would turn into blood soaked killing grounds if an enemy ever got past the bunkers. Cameron and Dillon stayed in their post being some of the few lucky guardsmen that didn't have to help build all the metal monstrosities.

Dillon sat with his back to the gun slit holding his rifle and plying with one of the melta bombs now issued to all the men. "I don't get it" he said now throwing the melta bomb to himself "why would they just stand there? Why didn't they attack us, we were in such disarray a Gretchen with a bad leg could of hobbled his way into the base before any one fired on it." Dillon looked sullen and worried. "I don't know Dillon. All I know is that these officers aren't helping us at all, they just take all of our useful tips and just ignore them." Cameron now got up and started pacing the room. "you know I told them about how the blob was dark blue on the thermals? The officer just ignored it, the only way I got some one to listen was is started telling some men in the mess hall of how to spot them." Dillon raised his rifle and did another quick almost cursory sweep of the outcropping using the thermal sight. "Hobbes? What do you think happened to the bodies of the recon?" Cameron stopped pacing. "I mean they cant be to far out there could they? They were only meant to recon the perimeter"

"ill be right back then" Cameron walked out the bolt hole leaving Dillon sitting in his defensive position confused. "where are you going though?" asked Dillon, but Cameron was already on his way to the head quarters.

He walked in through the steel reinforced door and walked up to the clerk sitting at a desk. "I need to see the officer in charge, now!" the clerk didn't pay any attention, he just shuffled his papers and began writing another report.

Cameron leaned down and leaned in until his face was just an inch from the clerks. "where is the officer in charge?" this time he growled his question. When the clerk again didn't answer Cameron made as if to hit him, But stopped as a deep booming voice sounded out behind him. "that wont make him answer you. He's only a servitor." Cameron turned on his heel and looked to see who had spoken to him. Standing in the door way with a steaming cup of coffee was the commissar of the unit. He was a big man a little over 6 feet tall with broad powerful shoulders and a scared face. His skin seemed leathery and old but his eyes had a fire in them that would match a orks blood lust.

"im the officer in charge here and if you want to talk to me hitting my mail clerk wont help" the commissar then motioned for Cameron to follow him and stepped back out the door. Stunned Cameron followed and quickly caught up with the commissar.

"so" boomed the officer "what is it you so desperately wanted to se me about?" Cameron faltered not entirely knowing how he was going to ask this. "I um sir I want to take a squad into the tunnels. I think there may be something down there" the commissar continued to walk and sip from his coffee almost not even thinking about anything. "all there is down there is feces and rodents. Why on earth would you want to go down there?" Cameron didn't want to try and explain the smell which now lingered heavier than it had when they first landed. "please sir I just need one squad to go look through a few tunnels, if there's nothing down there we will come straight back up and ill drop the issue."

The commissar continued to sip his coffee until there was non left and even then he held it like there was a very valuable liquid in it. "ok." The commissar finnaly said. "but ill only give u 3 men and I want to be down there with you." "deall" asid Cameron and he jogged back to the bunker to tell Dillon what they were going to do.

Later that night in the pale glow of the moon Cameron Dillon the sommisar and 2 other guard were huddled around a sewer drain ready to pry it open. "now remember corpral we are down there to check things out and back out in less than an hour. Ok?" said the commissar. Cameron nodded in comfirmation and primed his las rifle. One of the the other soilders took a large crow bar and pulled off the lid to the sewers. What came out of the dark hole was a waft of steam with the smell of boiled skin and flesh. All of the men standing around it reeled back in disgust. "still think we are just going to be wading in feces down there commissar?" said Cameron trying to peer down the hole. The stink was so powerfull it made his eyes water. The group waited 10 minutes to try and let all the steam out, but when it didn't the commissar ordered gas masks on and gave the go ahead to enter the pipes.

The sewer was dark and rank, the air itself hung with a wet deathly stink, it seemed to coat the walls in a thick ooze that the commissar insisted on none of the men touching. Down at the bottom of the ladder Cameron stepped down on a wet cold floor. It was slippery with the ooze that covered all surfaces it seemed. The roof of the sewers was dark and deep in shadow to the point where about 10 meters over their heads.

When all the men had landed the commissar looked to Cameron. "ok corporal now where?" Cameron was caught off guard. He expected t her to be some clue as to the smell but instead the sewers were just empty. There were no dead bodies like on Calahan IX. "I say we work our way down that way 50 meters" he said pointing down one of the main pipes. "then we work the other way and try and check in a 50 meter circumference, if there's something down here it should be close."

With that all the men switched on their under slung lamp packs and began moving down the tunnel in the direction that he had stated. As they moved on Cameron noticed the ooze was a deep red almost to the point of being black. In some places the ooze was thick and in otheres it didn't even cover the walls. Strange he thought. At the end of the 50 meters and seeing nothing Cameron took them back to the start and went through another tunnel and back again seeing nothing. But something bugged Cameron something at the back of his mind was screaming that there was something wrong with his place. But he couldn't place what it was

After exploring another 5 tunnels and coming up with nothing the commissar called a halt "Cameron there's nothing down here lets just give up and go to the surface" the commissars voice was muddled and distorted through the gas mask. You were right theres no feces down here but there isn't anything out of the norm now is there?"

Then it hit Cameron. He looked down into the basin in the middle of the pipe that should have been full of feces and excrement but instead it was dry as a bone in the desert. At the same time he could hear dillons muffled voice behind him say "golden throne" when Cameron looked around he saw that Dillon wasn't looking at the empty basin but rather at the roof that was to dark to se with the naked eye. But now Dillon had his lamp pack aimed up and on high beam. 2 of the men joined him and used their lights on the roof.

The 3 lights made maniac shadows that made it look like movment or even life but Cameron knew that what was no the ceiling was not alive. "commissar. I think we found the villagers." On the roof in twisted forms with bones jarring out and organs looped around them was the entire population of the deserted village. Stripped of all skin. The ooze wasn't any sort of moss it was instead the blood of they dying villagers as they were nailed to the ceiling and flensed alive.

"emporer protect us" muttered one of the guardsmen "the emporer has forsaken this place a long time ago" said the commissar trailing his beam of light down the sewers. Suddenly he stopped moving his light and dropped to his knee shouldering his bolt gun.

"what is it commissar" said one of the soldiers. It was the last thing he would say. The man who spoke had his head cleanly ripped off by a spinning black blade that whirred through the air and embedded itself in the sewers wall. Before they could react a sick beat of slapping flesh and metal on concrete beat its way to them. The commissar opened up with his bolt gun sending a magazine of deadly rounds down the tunnels throat and into an unseen attacker.

Cameron and Dillon saw it at the same time, almost as if it was frozen in time. It was a being that should not have existed half metal and half sutured skin it was running twards them with a large bladed fore arm. Then time resumed and both began to fire. Las rounds ripped open the flesh and the bolt gun dented the metal exoskeleton. One of the troopers threw a melta bomb and blasted a great hole infront of the beast. With a loud clang the metal thing slammed to the groun missing all of its skin now and having lost its legs. But no matter how damaged it was everyone in the recon group knew exactly what it was. It was one of the thinking machines from the age of strife.

Cameron slapped the commissar on the shoulder "WE NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" he shouted as the machine began to claw its way twards the men. The commissar nodded and began to run with Cameron and Dillon stopping long enough to hurl a hand full of melta bombs at the machine to make sure it was truly dead.

On top of the sewer now the commissar and all the men sat around looking at the now dark sewer opening. "we need to get reinforcements now." Said Cameron. The commissar looked at Cameron with a face of dread. "don't you remember ? the ship left to try and get another garrison 2 days ago. Its in the warp right now we could never contact it." "what do we do then commissar?" asked one of the troopers. "we wait and hope we can fight these things and hold them off long enough to get picked back up by the transport." Said Cameron with a grim look of determination on his face.


	4. Chapter 4 a long night

Chapter 4

A long night

When the group had exited the sewers the commissar had issued an immediate order that all of the entrances be closed off. After this Cameron then suggested that melta bombs worked very well against these machine creatures, 2 hours later and here he was huddled back in his bunker with Dillon and the 2 nervous looking guards that had joined them down in the tunnel. All of them now held shiny newly issued grenade launchers. In the back near the cots they had a crate of 40 drums for the launchers all of which were filled up with melta bombs. Cameron wasn't used to having his suggestions being filled out.

The 2 guardsmen were an odd pair. The tall one was skinny and lanky as if his features were pulled out and elongated, his name he said was Elliot. The other his name Tim seemed the exact opposite, he was short with a thick powerful build his face was deep set and always seemed tired, not that anyone ever noticed since his black hair had grown far beyond the allowed length. The 2 of them talked little and kept to themselves not really taking much interest in Cameron or Dillon.

After an hour of uneasy silence and boring watch Dillon finally broke the tension. "Why do you think they have doubled the bunkers men?" Cameron sat wondering the same question while playing with the drum feed of his launcher. Surprisingly it was Tim who answered back. "They expect an attack tonight. With the amount of effort it took to kill that thing down there I don't even want to think of how hard it will be to kill and entire army of them."

"Well that's what these big heavy things are fore aren't they?" asked Elliot nudging his weapon on the ground. "I guess but how many rounds do you think it will take to kill one of them? And did u see how many of them there were out there before?" said Dillon turning from the firing slit

"Yea and what was up with all the villagers do you think all the machines are wearing people's skins?" As Elliot spoke one of the bunkers off in the distance started booming.

"Well it looks like we are about to find out" said Cameron as reports started to fill in over the vex. Screams and curses erupted in the bunkers next to them as the distinct thump whir of the grenade launchers sounded.

All 4 of the men stood up and took firing positions scanning the area in front of them fro the tell tale sign of the machine monsters. Besides the gun fire everything was silent. Nothing moved and the bunker remained under no attack. Outside the blackness was cut by thermal scopes that the men used, instead of the ugly grey of dead trees. There was a kaleidoscope of bright orange and reds and cold cold blues.

Dillon looked up from his grenade launcher and said in a bit too loud of a voice "I don't see anything. Maybe it's another miss f-"that was all Dillon could get out before a black scythed claw rammed through his skull. The claw was black as the night was and along the blade was a fine dark blue line from witch corruption seemed to leak. All around the claw frostbite began to crawl. Even before Dillon stopped twitching the blackness of frostbite had covered his once handsome features. As all 3 men stood looking on in horror Dillon's body was ripped through the firing slit and up into the night. "Shit! Their on the roof." Shouted Tim as another claw rammed down through the top of the ceramite bunker nearly impaling Tim.

Cameron ran to the bolt hole and ripped open the door only to be met with another of the tall black ice clad monsters. As it stood it mocked breathing with its shoulders moving up and down in an off beat rhythm making the stolen flesh crackle and the ice to break off in small dusty bits.

The machine swung at Cameron barely missing his head as he ducked and rolled out through the door. The claw embedded itself in the bunkers wall before it was ripped free along with a great section of the ceramite.

Once outside Cameron could see the entire encampment now, crawling with the black bodied machines. Some were on roofs others were stalking through the supposed killing grounds between the buildings. A few he saw had limp bodies on their hooks already black with whatever dark magic these things used. Before he could take in anymore he was slammed sideways by giant chunk of ceramite on the machines limb.

Cameron kicked out at the machine and succeeded in only numbing his leg from the insane cold of the machines body. He rolled as it swung down with the bolder on its arm, this time smashing on the ground and breaking it apart. With its arm free the machine flexed it and made a few swipes through the air as if getting feeling back into it. The machine itself was almost human. If it weren't for the black ill fitting skin the eyeless face and the giant deformed claw arm it could have passed of as a normal citizen, but now the machines didn't want to fit in they wanted to kill.

Before the thing could come in again for another attack it vaporized in a blinding pale blue light. The heat wash from the blast was amazing, so hot it singed off the hair from Cameron's arms. As he through them up to protect his face. Standing over the flaming puddle of molten metal was Tim with a grenade launcher slung under each arm.

"lets get out of here before more things come to get us" he said, as if to emphasize the point 2 more of the black machines leapt from a nearby building and began their awkward run to Cameron and Tim. Before they could take a dozen steps Tim spun on his heel and delivered a trio of grenades into both of them sending them flying through the air in a melted jumble of limbs and burning dead flesh.

Cameron got to his feet "we need to find the commissar he can help" as he said this Elliot popped out of the bunker with a large sack on his back. When Cameron and Tim gave him questioning looks he replied "we may need more ammo" Cameron shrugged and began a heavy jog for the commissars bunker hq.

Through the streets they ran occasionally blasting away a would be attacker or stopping for a second to see if the half black bodies showed any signs of life. All around them the sound of grenade fire was slowly diminishing and as it got quieter the screams got louder.

The streets were black and quiet now. Skinless bodies lay on the ground bleeding out or lying still and quiet. Cameron Tim and Elliot did not speak. It always seemed to draw more of the machine monsters. By now they had melted down and blasted more machines than hey cared to count. Their grenade stash was running dangerously low and Tim had suffered a glancing slice from one of the cold caws ( name donated by Tim after having his arm half frozen from it) now they came to the intersection in the middle of the make shift military town. In front of them was the HQ. Its once shiny metal and ceramite sides were now littered with the dead black flesh and out front was a score of half melted metallic body parts.

The gun slits on the walls had been opened and from here Cameron could see the dark green tubes of grenade launcher barrels sticking out the window. Cameron slowed to a walk cautious and yet trying to keep himself in check. No need for any friendly fire.

As Cameron slowed Elliot raced the entire faster forward. Letting his grenade launcher fall loose on his sling and waving his arms in the air. "Commissar! Commissar Open up let us in!!" shouted Elliot. As he took another few steps a black from lunged out of the shadows and crashed into him impaling him in the chest with the cold claw.

Elliot tried to scream but what came out was a cold rasping sound like feet dragging through gravel. Cameron fired a round into the machine instantly vaporizing it and Elliot, he would have died any way, and Cameron told himself. As the blue flame died down Cameron saw at the front of the HQ the commissar standing outside motioning for them to get in. when Cameron opened his mouth to question the commissar put his finger up to his lips then disappeared inside the building. Cameron and Tim jogged cautiously down the road and into the building checking for more hidden surprises. Once inside the metal door clanged shut behind them. Inside stood the commissar and some of the officers that were absolutely useless during the first signs of enemy.

"Welcome to what's left of my proud garrison" said the commissar picking up another cylinder of melta bombs and placing them on a hook on his belt. "We have been systematically wiped out in 1 night corporal" the commissar said turning and looking at Cameron and Tim. "I thought me and my command staff was all that was left when we couldn't raise any one on the vox, so we have been hunkered down here blasting away at anything that moves out there." Cameron was shocked at this surely there had to be other survivors? Before Cameron or Tim could voice opinions 2 of the officers sounded off at the same time "sir we have enemy contacts" the commissar looked over his shoulder at the officers then back to Cameron and Tim. "Time to fight eh boys?" the commissar walked back over to one of the gun slits and prepped his grenade launcher. "Oh yea" said the commissar as if in an after thought "they can't see so they hunt by sound, try to keep conversations to a minimum." Cameron and Tim looked at each other in shock.

From space the great black hulk loomed over the world below. The sides of it were bristling with weapons like spines on an animal. Inside the beings judged the planets fate. Some said to destroy it; others said they should send a party down to see if there was any life left. In the end in the end one made a decision in 3 hours there would be a full scale bombardment on the planet below to destroy the machine things. Until then 1 shuttle could descend to investigate.

So like a probe from a great sea behemoth a small shuttle detached from the underbelly of the ship and cruised down leaving an orange flame through the planets atmosphere.

Cameron stood in the room reloading his grenade tubes sweating like a mad man. It had been 2 hours since the machines had started attacking and it was now down to him and the commissar and Tim. All 3 covered a side of the square block closing the 4th side as the last under officer had died in a horrid spray of blood and kicking legs.

The attacks had subsided as now there was a lake of molten metal around the HQ. The entire mass of machines had been drawn to the HQ now because of the sounds of high explosive grenades one of the officers had accidently used. Now in the darkness small glints of moving ice and the crunching of heavy shodded feet could be heard. Cameron and the commissar knew it would only be a matter of minutes before they were finally over run. Times arm had festered with frost bite. He only barley had control of his hand and even then it was sporadic. That's when all 3 of them heard the noise. A sonic boom. And the after burners of a shuttle entering the atmosphere. As soon as Cameron and the rest heard it all the machines heard it to and a great keening howl rose from the city.

Cameron left his post and ran to the commissar "sir we need to get topside now and get the attention of that ship" the commissar nodded and ran to the middle of the room and pulled a small ladder down from the roof. He climbed it quickly and reached up. Cameron could hear the tortured squeal of metal on metal as the commissar opened up some hatch on the roof. "Up here corporal. We may yet live to see another day." The commissar disappeared into the dark night. Cameron yelled out for Tim who fired another few rounds through his slit before running back to the ladder and swinging himself up it.

On top of the roof was allotted worse than inside the bunker thought Cameron as he entered the dark and unnaturally cold night. All around he saw the black forms of the machines with new skin on, how he hated them. The commissar was already on the vox trying all channels to reach the aircraft. When his first few quiet attempts failed he slapped the vox as hard as he could. Some how, Cameron would never no, he knocked the machine into working order, it squealed on top volume the aircrafts response"...-understood we have your co ordinates and will be there in 5 minutes…"

The commissar looked up from the vox with a terrified look on his face. Before Cameron could say anything he rolled left and onto his back and fired 3 rounds into the air. All 3 of them found their mark on black forms jumping through the air.

Cameron spun and ducked as a pair of claws flew for his face. He fired a melta bomb into one of the machines sending it flying through the air before it finally detonated leaving a pale blue light on the HQ and surrounding area.

As he relished his victory as another pair of attackers leapt for him colliding in mid air as he dived out of the way. The cold claws cut into their own flesh and ripped open he fired another melta bomb into them leaving a nice gapping hole in the roof of HQ.

As Cameron fought off more attackers practically back to back with the commissar and Tim the shuttle cam for a fly by. The back wash from the jet engines nearly sent them all to the ground.

The shuttle spun in the air and gracefully came in for a landing. As it did so Tim was stabbed yet again by a claw and dragged to the edge of the roof. The commissar yelled out a battle cry that would make an orks blush and ran at the machine impaling Tim the commissar then drooped his grenade launcher and in a great leap drop kicked the machine in the deformed and eyeless head. The claw slid free of Tim and the commissar and the machine flew into the darkness below which was now teaming with cold machines.

Tim sagged backwards with his grievous wounds. Cameron ran over to him and dragged him back to the middle of the HQ firing and melting at least a dozen of the machines. As he was being dragged Tim leaned out and grabbed the commissar's grenade launcher. When Cameron stopped dragging Tim looked up at him, all he could see was a blurry outline as the flood lights of the space shuttle was now lighting up the roof for its dissension. "Go without me. I'm going to die any way and I want to go out in my blaze of glory" Cameron looked Tim in the eye and Tim smiled a half black smile as the frost bite continued to crawl over his body. "Ok "said Cameron "I wont let them forget you Tim" and with that Cameron was gone. Leaping up into the open hatch of the ship and yelling at the pilot to punch it.

When Tim saw the afterburners kick in and the shuttle leave the ground level he focused back on the hear and now. All around him black machines were slowly limping towards him. He smiled and hefted himself up off the ground using his grenade launchers as a lift. "Today I die" he said catching the attention of the machines as they moved towards him "but ill be damned if I'm not taking as many of you with me as I can"

From the shuttle Cameron saw the have of blue light on top of the HQ as Tim unloaded 2 whole tubes of melta bombs into the hoard. When the haze disappeared the last of Cameron's stamina left his body and he fell limp to the ground exhausted beyond measurement.


	5. Chapter 5 unwanted allies

Im sorry for the rushed appearance of the other chapters, but now that I know where im going with this I hope it will be allot better, tell me what you think of chapter 5 here and I can improve even more on the others.

Chapter 5

Unwanted allies.

A black warm darkness cushioned him. Every side was black darken, he breathed darkness and drank deeply of it. The darkness felt good comforting, it embodied everything that a person could ever want, it was the womb of the universe and the more he understood it the deeper he was pulled into that darkness. But something was not right with it; there was just the smallest point wrong. At first that point was a thought a mere whisper of an idea but slowly that idea grew until it was a point of light, and the light grew faster and waster first a beam and then a blinding spot light flooding everything with a ghostly pale light, the light was cold and bitter and tasted of metal. There was sound all around the light a constant clamor of noise that he couldn't make out. Then with a rush like being dragged out of a deep ocean he was brought back into the world of the living.

Cameron sat bolt upright in his cot, or at first he thought It was his cot. As he looked down he saw it was white and crisp. His ragged and dirty body seemed out of place in it. He looked around the room. The whole place was white and sterile. The roof was white the walls were white even the dark blue floor had a white tinge to it. It was a medical bay but he hand no idea where it was or how he got here. Slowly he swung his feet over the edge of the cot wincing as scrapes of unhealed cuts and shrapnel ground around in his body.

He slowly let his feet touch the smooth sterile surface of the medical bay floor and panic infused his body as he felt the cold. He jerked his legs back up into the cot and reeled in terror thinking of another attack of the machine, things. But all there was was the floor and his bear feet. Where had his boots gone? He still wore his dirty and torn camouflaged pants but that was all.

Again he put his feet on the ground and fought the superstitious fear of the cold as he stood up. His legs felt weak and over used. His first few steps were wobbly and he had to grab a nearby table to steady himself in doing so he knocked off a place of scalpels that clattered to the floor noisily. But he walked on towards the door of the ward. Seemingly the only dark place in the room.

As he stepped through he was greeted by more cold steel under his feet but this time he could feel a thrumming, almost as if it was an artificial heart beat. It was constant but also out of rhythm. The outside of the medical bay was dark and cold, he could see his breath in the air as he looked around. The hall way was gun metal grey and all the lights were turned down. There were censers of incense on the wall at precise distances so that the whole place smelled of sweet hills filled with flowers.

Cameron turned left not knowing where to truly go. Still he felt the thrumming under his feet. As he walked his body fought him every step with either a pain or a crack of a joint but he pushed through. As he moved he looked down other smaller corridors seeing robbed men or women or maybe servitors shuffling about, all of them seemed like whispers on the wind only noticeable for a second, but as soon as you looked at them they were gone.

He didn't divert from his path, he didn't know why he didn't try and follow one of the robbed things but he had a gut feeling about this hall way. As he walked e swore he could feel the floor thrum harder and if he strained he could almost hear the beating of the source of movement. He pushed it to the back of his mind. Soon he came to a t junction in the hall way and decided to turn left again.

Now he was walking a bit faster with less pain and more of a purpose in his stride, he still limped and moved slowly but at least it was better than when he first started. As he moved he caught glimpses of the robbed things over and over again but never saw anyone that could be defined as a person, where was he? Finally when he was about ready to sit down he saw it. It was a huge steel door with gold runes and etchings in it. Before the door on either side of the door stood 2 giant grey statuses formed to look like space marines, Cameron had seen space marines before when fighting the tyranids on other planets but these seemed different some how. As he got closer he wondered in awe if maybe this was a space marine strike cruiser.

He reached the door and the 2 statues snapped out their arms. Both held long silver and golden glaives that where as tall as him. He wondered what to do now. Before he could say anything one of the statues spoke through a vox speaker in its neck joint

"State your name and business" the statue did not move but Cameron did not expect it to. He coughed to clear his throat and wondered where to talk to so he faced the statue and said.

"My name is Cameron you. You saved me from the planet below and I need to know what the hell is going on" Cameron sagged, the effort of speaking was hard enough as it was, his chest felt like it was full of nails, he wondered if he had broken a rib or 2. Cameron expected the statue to talk back but instead the 2 glaives snapped back to the sides of the statues and the giant gold inlaid door slowly rose with a tortured squeal.

Cameron stood looking as the door opened fully. Inside he saw a great chair on top of a high podium. Below the chair were banks upon banks of computers and monitors; at each one was a robbed thing and they were all working away with such diligence Cameron wondered if they even knew he was here. But dwarfing this all was a giant glass plate at the front of the room.

Cameron slowly took a step in and then another never taking his eyes off of the glass plate. As he neared it he could see more. What he saw was the blackness of space with the specks of stars that surely belonged to the emperor. But the blackness of the space was a halo around a planet on fire. At first he was shocked but then he was scared who had done this to a planet?

"I did this" said a voice behind Cameron. The voice carried an icy feel on it like the words were cold. Cameron spun on his heel and faced the chair. In it sat a man in flowing long robes, completely white and completely free of anything other than a black belt with a plasma pistol and a power sword and the medallion around his neck. The medallion itself was nothing special, but what it represented would freeze an orks heart. With was a green rectangle with the skull and I symbol.

"An inquisitor" gasped Cameron his eyes going wide in fear. He dropped to one knee or at least tried; instead he toppled over to the side and reopened a large gash across his chest.

"Stand Cameron your heart is not here to be judged, at least not yet." Cameron picked himself up as the blood from his gash slowly trickled down his chest.

"Why, why am I here then?" said Cameron motioning around the area.

"And what has happened to that planet?"

"Ah" said the inquisitor "you my friend and your silly counter parts have stumbled across something big here" the inquisitor said pointing with his finger in a relaxed manner at the burning husk of a planet. "Tell me Cameron do you know what a stc system is?" Cameron nodded

"Of course it's the most valuable thing in the imperum. It makes the weapons and stuffs the tech priests can't make."

The inquisitor nodded. "That's right and how do you think those machines were made" Cameron stopped and thought down on the planet he had never thought about where they came from,

"Ill tell you" said the inquisitor before Cameron could speak "they are from a faulty stc system that was somewhere down on that planet. We are doing this so we don't have entire galaxies of the daminble thinking machines." Cameron's eyes opened in shock.

"But where did it come from?" the inquisitor smiled

"Ah if only it was that easy, tell me have you ever heard of the race called the necromancers?" Cameron shook his head, still grasping his chest where blood was now drying and clotting.

"They are a scourge, a virus on humanity. Even the great inquisition does not know what they truly are. But we believe that planet was a faulty off shoot of the necrons."

"But what are the necrons?" said Cameron turning back towards the burning planet.

"The necros are, dead yet undead. They are thinking machines that believe death is the greatest thing that anyone can achieve. And since they are machines and already dead they cover the universe looking for other species to give their gift of death to."

"So what does that have to do with me?" said Cameron still looking down on the planet trying to see where Dillon had died.

"That puts you and me in a conundrum, you are not part of the inquisition but I believe your whole regiment." He checked a data slate on the side of his chair. "The, 93 "ork slayers"? Yes they seem to have been totally wiped out by the necrons before we even made it into the system. Frankly it's a miracle that you survived."

Cameron began pacing the room, looking over the shoulders of all the robbed things and looking at the streams of data flowing across their screens, almost UN readable to Cameron.

"So what happens then?" Cameron stopped at one of the banks as a rotating picture of the statues outside caught his attention.

"You are going to train with my men, it's highly unorthodox but I may have need foe someone that isn't part of the astretes." Cameron spun and looked at the inquisitor

"You mean im on a space marine ship?" the inquisitor smiled wrinkling his pale thin face.

"Not exactly you are now officially part of the grey nights" Cameron searched through his memory for the words grey nights.

"Those 2 that were outside the door they weren't statues." Said the inquisitor now standing up and walking down to the floor to Cameron's level.

"What? Then what were they?" said Cameron looking back out the door at the s statues.

"Well the one on the right is justicar Brendan, and the one on the left is grand master green." This was all too much for Cameron to handle. And the inquisitor seemed to sense this. He called over his shoulder.

"Justicar? Can you show your new squad mate back to the infirmary?" at his words one of the giant grey gods snapped to attention and walked in. Cameron looked up to him and nodded weakly. As Cameron was led out through the hall way the inquisitor called out again.

"Cameron I expect you training as soon as your wounds heal. We will be entering necrons territory in 2 weeks time." And with that the great golden door slowly closed down and sealed the chamber off. Cameron looked back up into the face plate of the iron warrior leading him away.

"What was up with him it felt like he was reading my thoughts and every movement?" The giant turned his head looking down on Cameron without breaking stride.

"That's because he was, you just encountered an alpha class psycher and the captain of the ship relentless. That was inquisitor Arron a man that you truly never want to cross." With this the warrior snapped his head back forward and marched on.

When they got to the medical bay Cameron lay back down on his cot and the warrior left. He had so much to think about, grey nights, necrons, inquisitors and his whole regiment gone. But he was drained so instead he lay his head back on the pillow and reentered that warm black womb, but this time it wasn't the d earthly embrace but instead an offset warmth like he was here not by his own choice but forced to be here instead, so like his life now.


	6. Chapter 6 we have arrived

Chapter 6

We have arrived

The ground erupted next to him spraying Cameron in a fine layer of dust. Al around him was a smoky mist making it impossible to see anything.he was crouching with his back up to the rock, behind him was a building full of enemy that he had to clear. Another hail of gun fire rained down on him spattering the ground and rock causing more dust to mix with the smoke. he breathed in and lunged.

Away from the rock and rll straight up into a run, a red streak lanced out at him barley missing, he dived ducked and started running again as more lasers peppered the ground where he used to be. Now he saw the building a black scar on the grayish smoke. He ran with renewed vigor at the door and leaped through the air feet first solidly dropkicking the door off its hinges and sending himself and the door flying into the building. As he landed on the ground he drew out his 2 bolt pistols and aimed, there in the main room with him he could see 3 murky silhouettes, he placed a bolt round through each of their heads. The gun shots sounded like the roar of a thunder hawk in his unprotected ears and the blow back from the pistols was almost more than he could handle.

As soon as the bodies dropped he was under more fire from a nearby stair well, he rolled onto his back and fired a burst of highly explosive shells into another bodie toppling it from the stairs. Cameron jumped to his feet and ran to the stairs and threw 2 high explosive grenades up on short time fuses.

The explosive concussions made the roof sag and bits of it fall through, but Cameron did not notice this he was already pumping up the stairs and now running down the second floor hallway. He ran at full pelt down the hallway running around holes in the floor and jumping over a barricade.

He saw the door at the end, that was his mission. Before he could get any closer though the door opened and something stepped out with what looked like a very large weapon. Before his assailant could fire Cameron launched himself to the left planting his foot on the wall and pushing off sending him into the air. Then the hall way exploded.

As he flew through the air the enemy opened up with his weapon, a heavy stubbier usually reserved for the tops of tanks and war machines, a meter long tongue of flame licked menacingly at the air as hundreds of rounds tore down the hall way and impacted on the floor and end of the hallway ay and where Cameron used to be, before Cameron could land he placed 2 magazines of bolt pistol ammo into the gunner.

He landed in front of the dead body dropping both his spent pistols. But he did not slow, he took 3 running lunges at the door un slinging a bolt gun from across his back. When he got to the remains of the body he dived feet first and skided into the room blasting 4 more standing forms, when he ended in the middle of the room he unstrapped something from his leg and placed it on the floor then made sure all the siluetss were dead.

He reached down to his neck vox and called in.

"building clear justicar." As he spoke the smoke lifted and all the training servitors got up and resumed their places at windows and hall ways, except for the gunner servitor it remained motionless on the floor. The justicar wouldn't like this he liked to not have to replace his servitors.

Cameron slowly walked back out of the building now is stamina rush gone he could feel the weight of the bulky armor the grand master had given to him. It had now been a week since they had entered the warp on their trip into necrons space. The day after meeting the inquisitor Cameron had said he was ready for action. While his body still ached and his wounds hadn't completely closed he wanted to be fighting to be able to forget where he was going and how likely it was he was going to die.

After he had been given this armor Cameron had bee lead to the armory and given his choice of weapons. There had been so many heavy weapons poison weapons grenade launchers rocket launchers and almost everything he had wanted to use on the firing ranges. But instead he chose 2 bolt pistols and 1 bolt gun with a bandolier of ammo for each type. He also always carried a melta bomb, just out of superstition.

At first the bolt gun and pistols had been to much for him to handle, but he learned how to use them developing a firing system that would never put to much strain on one hand. Now he was a crack shot with both the weapons, not as good as any of the silent grey nights but good enough.

As he left the building Cameron was greeted by a justicar, he lost memory of their names. It was better just to call the justicar or justicar or whatever their title was.

"two minutes and fifty eight seconds. Take a minute fifty eight off of that and you'll be close to beating my time" said the justicar. The justicar wore no armor only a grey robe with his rank on them. But the justicar was till 2 feet taller than Cameron.

"has the inquisitor decided he will tell me where we are going yet? And has he explained why he wants me out there with you and your brethren?" said Cameron looking up into the great scarred face of the man. How old was he? Thought Cameron. He heard space marines could be hundreds of years old before even looking old.

"the inquisitor has his ways and if he decides to do something then he has good reasons" said the justicar looking about the giant training area. This area had almost been Cameron's home for 5 days. He had been training ruthlessly and he could already feel muscles building that had not been there before.

The justicar walked along next to Cameron crossing other training grounds where grey nights battled in different training areas some like jungles others like cities. Some practiced sparing with power glaives and their nemesis weapons.

After leaving the training area they re entered the long cold hallways Cameron had first walked. Now that he was more familiar with them they did not seem so omnipresent and daunting. When they finally reached Cameron's separate barracks, really a storage room that they had placed a rather uncomfortable cot, the justicar turned to him.

"you have come far in your training Cameron soon you will be ready for the drop into the necrons horrid death riddled universe." The grey night seemed to shiver.

"you are a good man Cameron so I will tell you this in strict confidentiality, do not trust the inquisitor he works for the emperor but in ways that are not always." The justicar looked up trying to think of the right word. "not always what a man with a sould would choose" Cameron was stunned. Before the justicar could turn away Cameron grabbed his arm

"do you know why he wants me to be dropping in with you? Why he wants me to go out and face all these perils?" the justicar looked defensive, he placed his large hand on Cameron's and lifted it off with ease.

"just do not think because he is an inquisitor that he is full of the holy light." The justicar started to walk down the hall way to some destination that Cameron had probably not been to before. The justicar threw one last comment over his shoulder before he rounded a corner.

"we all have dark corners, some are just better hidden than others." Cameron shuddered. He was worried if an inquisitor, the lantern of the emperor in the darkness of the universe, would fall from grace then any one could.

Before he could dwell on this any farther the whole hall way was suddenly bathed in pulsing red light. A crackling voiced over the vox and the inquisitor came across his voice loud clear and demanding.

"to all battle personal get to your stations prepare for immediate drop on surface. We are 20 minutes from the necrons space. Cameron report to the bridge" Cameron was shocked now was the moment of truth. Before he ran to the bridge he went back to the armory and loaded up his pistols and bolt gun with as much ammo as his belts would carry. He also remembered to hook a melta charge to his armor just for luck.

Now he pounded back down the hallways turning one way than another. To a boarding part this place would be a maze with cross corridors and dead ends that would drive a man insane but Cameron had memorized how to get about. When he got to the large gold door of the bridge of the ship he realized the 2 guards were gone. Must be part of the landing group he thought.

The metal squealed up and he walked in. the inquisitor was standing at the front with his hand clasped behind his back. Until now Cameron had realized how small a man he was. He was short and rather skinny but with a fearsome almost lethal aurora about him.

The inquisitor spun and faced Cameron with a feral grin on his face.

"we go to battle my friend" he said with an upsweep of his hands. He walked over to Cameron and put his arm around his shoulders.

"you will be on a landing pod with me and my personally entourage of grey knights. We will take the surface of this planet by storm and destroy the fowl necrons stc systems." The inquisitor seemed happy with this idea as he stared off into an unspecified place on the bulk head.

"sir if you don't mind me asking what planet?"

"ah yes" said the inquisitor "we will be taking a planet ruled by the necrons ever since the age of strife. But lately my spies have shown me something very disturbing, the planet has been infested by chaos. It seems there is a chaos sorcerer down there causing the necrons to build alters the horrid likes of that nature. He is also sending necrons out to new planets, the emperors planets and they are massacring people." The inquisitor snapped his gave from the sot and focused back on Cameron.

"you me and the grey knights with us are going to kill this sorcerer and then we will bomb the surface leaving this a glassed over tomb. Huh ironic, its probably what the necrons would want." With this the inquisitor grunted and let go of Cameron. he walked over to a podium with a large dark box on top and started to remove his weapons of office, and put on what looked like ceremonial armor.

"but sir why me im not nearly as good as a grey knight in a fight, im just a corporal in the imperial guard." The inquisitor looked back in mid buckle of a chest piece.

"ah yes well your not a corporal any more you are now part of the ordeo malleus, I don't know how to give you a true rank but it is above corporal believe you me" the inquisitor said smiling again to himself. Cameron did not know how to take this.

"oh and you wont be wearing that flimsy training gear out in the field, if yuou follow one of the servitors it will take you to the armory to get new armor." Cameron stared blankly at the back of the inquisitor until a servitor on rollers pulled up along side him and lead him back off to the armory.

The armor Cameron saw before him was mat black and smooth. It looked like a space marines armor without the huge shoulder pads and sized down to fit a normal man. When he touched the surface the armor seemed to be warm as if it wanted to be worn and wanted to enter battle. On the chest piece instead of the traditional eagle there was the inquisitors I and skull. Before Cameron knew it we was wearing the armor with bolt pistols in holsters on his legs and the bolt gun attached firmly to his belt. He had 2 crossing metla studded belts with ammo over his large chest piece, and tucked away on a back pouch of his belt was 1 melta bomb, just in case. When he took his first step in the armor he enarly fell in love with it. It magnified his natural muscles and made him feel so alive. He could feel slight pricks in his skin where needles in the armor fed him bits of stamina and vitamins. He was ready to take on these necrons he thought as he put on the mat black helmet, shaped so that the eyes glowed red and on the sides of the helmet were to wings that stretched straight up over the head.

He was ready for anything.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

TO WAR!!!

He wasn't ready for this.

He was in the "red light" zone right now. It was called that because of the small red led light glowing in the middle of the drop pod. He was in a restraining couch and could feel every movement. Thanks to his helmet the outside world was dampened his auto senses turning down the noise so he wouldn't go deaf. The optics in his helmet helped cut through the dark but did not help what he saw. Inside this drop pod with him was the inquisitor with his feral grin and a blood thirsty look in his e yes. In all the other couches were grey knight terminators, their bulk filled most of the drop pod. Cameron was glad he would be fighting alongside these godly steel clad warriors.

The terminators stood silent and un moving but over the vox Cameron could hear the constant low murmurings of prayers offered to the emperor normally these would be comforting but instead they were prayers for guidance in to he next life, they expected to die on the planet below.

Cameron had briefly seen the planet before he had been whisked into this drop pod. It was grey and dark, there were no clouds and the whole planet seemed devoid of life, there were no land marks or any true features to it other than plain grayness. Cameron feared how back it would be on the surface.

On the right of Cameron a grey knight terminator finished his preparation for the after life, he looked down at Cameron and spoke over the single vox net.

"do not fear, when we land the emperor will guide your hand and bless your mind with protection." Cameron nodded not wanting to talk fearing that a shaky voice would betray his calm look, it was easy to look calm when in a suit of power armor.

Suddenly the red light changed. It now flashed almost in a strobbing way. This was the signal for a 1 minute drop until the revers thrusters kicked in. Cameron looked past the light and made out the inquisitor, he had no helmet and only a few pieces of armor on but he seemed to not fear. When the inquisitor noticed camerons sstare he looked up and shouted.

"soon we will be cleansing this place my boy, these aliens will feel the wrath of the emporer. Just don't break!" the inquisitor laughed to himself and went back to smiling manically and looking about the cabin. Cameron thought about what the justicar had said.

"we all have dark corners." What was the inquisitors meaning for bringing him down to the hell hole.

The red light suddenly winked off. Technically it was pitch black in the drop pod but Cameron could se through it with his auto senses. He could see the mesh racks above the terminators heads packed with weapons and ammo incase they ran low. Lined along the roof of the pod was also a string of highly explosive material. If anyone went in the pod that wasn't supposed to be there it would detonate and blow everything within a 20 meter circle to the warp and back.

The terminators armor shone with the polish they put on when they were chanting their battle rights. Cameron felt out of place among them and had waited near the drop pod having already had his armor polished cleaned and perfected by servitors, he wished he had tried to clean the suit himself but he hadn't had the time or know how as to do it.

Like him the terminators eyes glowed a faint red as their scanners scanned the cockpit. Just like Cameron in their upper right hand corner of their HUD they had a small radar that told them the size distance and nature of the enemy. Thankfully everyone had tracers on them so the whole drop pod was blue friendlies.

As the timer counted down to 30 seconds Cameron felt a thrumming outside. It made the pod sway from side to side drunkenly. With each thrum Cameron could feel an electro magnetic pull go up his spine. The inquisitor seemed to read his mind. He leaned out of his restraints as far as he could and shouted.

" that's the necrons anti air fire. They use some sort of beam weaponry that can cut through shields." With this he leaned back in his restraints and closed his eyes.

Finally the reverse thrusters cut in. the floor lurched upwards and all the air was squeezed out of Cameron. Event through his hardened armor Cameron could feel the suit almost crushing him. Then it stopped with a sudden thud and pitch blackness. Before Cameron could say or think anything his restraints let him go and the sides of the drop pod blasted outwards on explosive charges. The doors flew outward and destroyed anything that came to investigate the metal pod from space.

The grey ash wafted in and the grey knights exploded out. They ran out with a zeal and began to look for targets. Cameron followed them and he saw the inquisitor leap onto of a dirt mound ig nighting his power sword and powering up his plasma gun. When Cameron crested the crater the drop pod created what he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. It looked like a hive city, but instead of the graceful spire of a hum hive this had random just of steel and corners that didn't seem to be physically possible to have. The whole place shimmered with chaotic colors and parts of it seemed to shift shape under his gaze. Truly they had now entered hell.

Cameron was nudged by a justicar on his right.

"come no guards man we will find this sorcerer and destroy his foul witcheries." With this the justicar bounded off down the mound and towards the city. The rest of the grey knights continued with him.

Cameron followed in close pursuit, their boots kicked up grey dust and left easy tracks for them to follow. Rocks jutted out of the ground but each one seemed wrong for some reason.

The run from the pod to the city was over a mile, and the whole time Cameron could see other pods setting down in the same fashion his did. They were all closer to the city than his and on their run they even encountered 2 more squads of grey knights who took up the charge with them. Cameron thought there was something wrong why was there no enemy fire?

As soon as the thought came to mind green lances of pure energy stitched the ground all around them. Two grey knights fell with gapping holes in parts of their armor, only one got back up.

The lances made no noise except for when they hit the ground causing a crackling sound like tin foil being crunched up into a small ball. Cameron ducked and rolled to the left pulling out his bolt pistols as he had trained himself to do. He peeked over the rock and caught a glimpse of gun emplacements on the ridge ahead of them there was a 200 meter kill zone that was bare of anything except for a slight slope upwards towards the guns.

Cameron looked over to the inquisitor and shouted.

"draw attention! Ill take out the guns!" the inquisitor nodded and made hand gestures to 2 of the grey knights who then crouched and did a dash for a grouping of boulders 50 meters from their position. The guns tracked straight at them and began to fire, Cameron did not look to see what happened to them. As soon as the guns turned he leaped over his rock and bolted for the closest gun emplacement. His natural strength and speed was doubled by the armor. He was half way when the gun began to track back towards him and send a deadly wave of green pulsating energy at him. Cameron dived over the beam and rolled to back up to his feet never loosing his speed. The gun couldn't track back as fast as Cameron could run and he was on top of the emplacement. He swung around behind it and kicked in the steel door to find 2 of the necrons standing with their weapons pointed at the door. He swiveled out of the way as the door glowed with the puer power of the shots. Before they could exit the building Cameron spun back in and doubled tapped each necrons in the skull with 2 bolter rounds.

The lifeless machines dropped to the ground. Cameron then moved on to the next few bunkers repeating the process until there was a gap big enough for the slower bulkier grey knights to run their way in.

By now they were literally on the out skirts of the necrons city. When the 3 squads had regrouped a grand master laid out battle plan splitting the men up so they could find the chaos sorcerer. As they waited the inquisitor motioned for Cameron to come stand at the bunkers door with him.

"do you notice anything about this place Cameron?" said the inquisitor drawing a deep breath of the stale foul air.

"yes sir, it just look wrong as if, it shouldn't exist. Like the buildings should have fallen over and the structure crumbled long ago."

"ah yes that is the dark chaos that has taken hold here. They have changed everything even the very buildings of the necrons planet." We believe the sorcerer is in the heart of the city so we have called in a single strike from space." Cameron looked confused

"see for yourself" said the inquisitor pointing towards the sky.

The sky lit up with a red glow as a round from the prow bombardment cannon flashed through the air and into the city. The explosion sent a visible shock wave through the air that made Cameron and the inquisitor stumble back into the bunker. After the blast the air filled with the grey dist found all over the planet. The grandmaster looked up from the plotting table.

"it is time to move, everyone to their respective staging areas we will meet in the middle and cut off the head to this snake."

Cameron and the inquisitor were put into 2 different groups and were sent ont heir way. Cameron's went straight a the city aiming for the great leveled part where the shot had struck home.

They went at a quick jog searching through the dust for the metal targets. Occasionally a few necrons were found limping through the rubble. They were dealt with by swift deaths. Cameron even dispatched a few of the machines before they reached the lip of the hole dug by the necrons. What they saw inside defied all reason.


	8. Chapter 8

Youll like this chapter everyone I put a nice cliff hanger at the end of it. I may only be doing another 1 or 2 chapters but will be starting another "book" after this one hope you enjoy it

Chapter 8

Below him was a blood stained field. There were empty red husks of space marine armor with horns on them and gold trim, littered around them and amongst them there were necrons in their hundreds, they swarmed the ruble filled make shift arena. Even from up here Cameron could hear the din of battle and taste the metallic flavor of blood and gun powder on the air.

"it seems our wake up call broke the hold over the necrons" said the grand master loading his wrist mounted storm bolter.

"let us go sow havoc among their ranks" and with that he was gone leaping and bounding into the battle far below. Cameron was the first to join him.

The slope was steep and footing was sparse but Cameron did not care he was leaping and bounding over bent twisted metal frames that could have been holding the building up or be parts of necrons, he didn't care. A dust smeared form burst from the rubble in front of him, instead of slowing Cameron leapt feet first into the iron body throwing it through the air with him. When they both landed he blasted 2 holes in the horned helmet of his adversary drawing a glowing liquid from the wounds, but cameorn was already running back down the path and did not notice. When he finaly reached the flat bottom he was met by the red suited power armor of a chaos space marine. It was fully 2 heads taller than Cameron and much bigger, this was emphasized by the 2 handed chain sword he wielded with one hand.

The marine swung at Cameron's head with the rip snarling blade and succeeded in only cutting through air. Cameron had ducked under the arm and now grabbed the sword wrist with his free hand. With the other he rammed the bolt pistols muzzle in the armpit of the thick armor and blasted through it drawing a tortured scream of pain from the chaos marine. The arm let go of the sword and spazmed as it was now only held together by a fragment or armor, the marine clumsily swung his own bolter around trying to shoot Cameron point blank, Cameron did not give him the chance he solidly kicked the marine in the chest and placed half a clip of ammunition through his torso as he fell.

His victory was short lived, he was suddenly thrown through the air by what felt like a dreadnaught punching him. The power of the hit was followed by a wash of green light. He ducked and rolled as he hit the ground covering his dark armor in grey dust. He rolled with the blow and ended up being narrowly missed by another green pulsating shot. A necron stood at the other end of the gun, its lifeless eyes staring straight at Cameron coldly calculating how to kill him. He jumped over the dead chaos marine and rolled as the necron fired again and again at him. He was now next to the machine, while crouching he kicked out and struck the legs from under it. The necron fell like a sentinel with only one leg. As soon as it hit the ground Cameron crushed the head under his boot and was satisfied to hear the squeal of metal as it was twisted and snapped.

To his right Cameron saw the grand master impale a chaos heretic on his power glaive and blast a fighting group of necrons and chaos worshipers with his wrist mounted storm bolter. As the grand master turned looking for more targets and throwing the heretic of his glaive he was met face to face with a necron that had 2 long scythes for arms. The necron plunged both of them into the grand masters abdomen and Cameron could hear him grunt with pain over the short range vox. The necron lifted the grand master into the air and made ready to rip him in two. It never got the chance. The grand master dropped his power glaive and roared over the vox net.

"IN THE NAME OF THE EMPORER. FEAST!" and slammed both his hands on the dead grinning skull twisting and pulling it up until he ripped it and its power source from the heavily armored body.

The grand master and the necron body dropped. The master cleanly pulled the blades from his body and picked up his glaive. Cameron ran over behind the grandmaster and punched the heretic that was trying to raise a lass pistol to the grand masters back. With his augmented strength Cameron's punch removed the heretic's lower jaw spraying him and the ground In a welter of blood. The grand master turned to Cameron and nodded his thanks. Already the bloody stains on his armor had clotted and the grand master ran off to another area kicking aside a half alive body of a chaos marine.

Cameron turned and reloaded his pistol taking another magazine from his chest belt. Now drawing his second pistol he moved back out heading towards the middle of the arena, where the heaviest fighting was going on. He came across two chaos cultists, their skinny and bent frames barley worth noticing. That almost cost him his life.

The first one ran at him screaming with his arms flung wide, Cameron coolly shot him through the chest dropping him. Then he noticed the cultist standing right behind the other one running straight at Cameron. around his chest was a mould of plastic explosives. The cultists rammed into Cameron sending him sprawling backwards. Cameron saw the cultist raise his hand with the detonator in it so he kicked as hard as he could. The body flew through the air and exploded about 4 meters from Cameron. the explosion made the ground rock and threw Cameron through the air. He landed on his front face down now missing one of his bolt pistols.

There was a faint ringing in his ear and he realized he couldn't hear anything. The battle field was quiet. Cameron picked himself up watching in awe as the grey knights slashed their way through throngs of enemies and blasted away would be attackers in total silence. He also watched as another red armored figure ran at him with a power sword raised.

The chaos marine swung at his head and Cameron reacted to slow, the blade caugh his helmet and ripped it from his head, and that's when the noise came back in. he wasn't deaf his helmet was broken. The blade left a deep gash along the side of his face. The marine swung again aiming for Cameron's belly. Cameron jumped back now on the defensive. He stepped on a smooth necron skull and fell back to the earth.

The chaos marine reversed his grip and rammed the red glowing sword down where Cameron's head had been, but he was sliding under the chaos marine. With his back to the ground Cameron kicked out for the groin hearing ceramite plates crack and feeling his leg go numb with the same shock as if he kicked the side of a tank. The chaos marine roared and swung out more clumsily now, Cameron scrabbled to his feet and raised his bolt pistol. But the chaos marine had seen it. He swung I a wide arc cutting through the pistols muzzle and throwing it from Cameron's hands.

Now the two faced off sword to unarmed. The chaos marine limped towards Cameron in a desperate lunge and Cameron easily sidestepped it a bit slower with his numbed leg. The marine and Cameron circled again staring each other down. Cameron couldn't go for his bolter on his belt because the marine was to was and would kill him. Cameron would have to do this with his hands.

The chaos marine lunged in again with his sword trying to impale cameorn on its blade. Cameron spun on the outside of the sword and behind the marine before he could swing back at him. He kicked at the back of the legs at the knee joint making the marine fall to his knees.

The chaos marine swung his sword back and up at Cameron's head. Cameron leaned in and caught the blood red vambrace on his neck and wrapped his arm around the chaos marines. With his other hand he began punching me chaos marines helmet making crack and spreading hair line fractures across it. The chaos marine tried punching Cameron but he was out of reach and totally at Cameron's mercy, and he had none to give. He continued to punch the helmet until finally it broke open in pieces. Below the helmet was a pale skinned head with no hair and many scars. Some of the skin seemed to be different colors and as if not from the same body, as if he had some one else's skin on his face.

The chaos marine hissed and twisted his tongue forming fowl words. Before he could say whatever it was Cameron brought his black gauntlet back down into the top of the skull pulping the grey flesh and spraying everything with chunks of bone and brain.

The body spazmmed and went limp dropping the sword. Cameron picked up the now simmering red blade and unhooked his bolter from his belt making sure it was loaded. He then ran over to a knot of grey nights near the arenas side. The 2 sides had pulled back and had regrouped and dug in both having suffered heavy losses.

The knights were in a circular defense with the grand master at the wall pulling off heavy metal scaffolding and rubble trying to free a tank sized hatch in the wall. Cameron noticed the two bloody marks on the grandmasters back. The gran master stood up and motioned for one of the other knights to resume the work. He turned and looked at Cameron.

"good to see you have survived, we have lost two men but have killed many of the emperors enemies today, we are bringing their bodies with us." He motioned towards the 2 armored grey husks on the ground next to the door.

"we will have them buried in the moon titan along with all our other fallen battle brothers." Cameron looked at the grand master and bowed his head.

"I will offer a prayer for your men when we are rid of this place I feel a dark presence pressing on my mind as we talk." The grandmaster nodded and went back to the door now almost free of rubble. When it was free and slowly being opened one of the grey knights called over the vox.

"they are attacking again. Three small squads of chaos headed our way. I think we should hurry with the door." Cameron saw the chaos forces, they were terminators and seemed to be carrying heavy weaponry.

Two other grey nights moved back and helped the grand master lift open the hatch.

"Move through now!" shouted the grand master his strain evident over the vox. Cameron was the first through the hatch. The tunnel was lit with sporadic glow globes hanging at random heights off the walls. Some flickered and others burned brightly. Now they were in the belly of the chaotic beast.

The grey knights followed him in filling the tunnel until finally the grand master and others holding open the hatch let go and rolled in has the heavy steel door clanged shut.

"the auspex is showing we are not far from the center of the city we should be able to follow this access tunnel to it." Said a justicar. He had a horrible green tinge to his left arm and was missing a large chunk of ceramite plate on it.

So the group set off cautiously walking through the tunnel. On the walls were random sigils that caused the eyes to water. The farther Cameron walked the more pressure he felt on his head, he could even hear voices slight quiet voices that whispered things he could not hear or understand. Not that he wanted to.

When Cameron heard voices he thought he was hearing louder whispers in his head but they were different more worldly and real. Then he halted and realized what it was. He halted and held up a closed fist gauntlet. The grey knights all stopped behind him and raised storm bolters. Cameron motioned for them to wait and sneaked forward. His black armor blended in with the dark shadows. He peeked around a corner and saw 3 chaos space marines all talking in the strange tongue that the one he killed was speaking in. but this was different he could almost.. understand them.

"almost…..done" said one of the marines. Or at least he thought it did. He listened for another few seconds only catching random words and then dismissed it surely he couldn't be hearing the voices of the followers of chaos?

Before his worries could sink in he spun around the corner flashing out with the power sword which now leapt to life with a red fire. He spun and sliced off the leg of the first marine and plunged it into the chest of the second marine. The third jumped back and withdrew his own power knife and leapt at Cameron. Cameron brought his sword up in time to d deflect the blow sending waves of power out lighting the room up. The marine missing a leg now lifted his bolter and fired at Cameron catching him in the back of the leg. He dropped down to one knee and the chaos marine pushed home his advantage kneeing Cameron in the face. His nose broke and blood flowed freely over his armor and he was thrown back. Before the 3 marines could fire at Cameron again the grand master stepped out and slashed out with his power glaive slicing open the marines in 3 swipes. He then placed a bolt into each of their heads just to be sure they were dead.

"next time don't go off into battle on your own. You're no space marine your just a man in light power armor." Cameron looked down in embarrassment, he was taking unnecessary risks but why, he knew better than this.

"im sorry grand master I will be more careful in the future." The grand master nodded and moved down the hall way following his radar built into the helm Cameron no longer had.

The path way moved on going deeper and deeper into the tunnel still with the randomly placed glow globes and sigils all over the walls. Now the sigils were more frequent and moved when looked at. Cameron swore once one of them hissed at him, and there was still that cursed pushing on his mind. When the pathway dipped down to a gentle slope Cameron was grateful, it was easier to walk and less evil sigils decorated the walls. Final the tunnel ended.

What the tunnel dumped out onto was a reverse dome. In the middle was a single structure surrounded by what looked like a maze of 11 meter high black walls. The area was dimly lit by glowing balls high upon the roof with could barley be seen and only because of the lights. Cameron and the grey knights walked straight for the structer with weapons at the ready and all power weapons lit and humming. When they finally reached the structure it was revealed to be a large rectangle with a single door. The grand master promptly kicked the door in with the same effect as if they had shot it with a rocket. Bright white light poured out of the room.

The grey knights rushed in and checked the room. Inside was a giant gresy silver machine with pistons and tubes covering the whole thing. When the room was called clear the grand master walked over to Cameron.

"stay here with justicar Grendol while we clear the rest of the dome. If anyone but a grey knight walks through that door shoot them, you understand? I mean any one." The grand master was leaning close to Cameron and the seriousness in his voice scared Cameron.

"I will grand master" said Cameron rubbing his temples now, it seemed the voices had receded for a bit.

With this the grey knights except for justicar Grendol left the room to clear the mazes around it. Almost immediately Cameron could hear the retort of gun fire. Cameron and the justicar stood in the room in total silence. They did not talk for there was nothing to talk about.

After what seemed like 2 hours the sounds of gun fire slowly silenced and there was an eerie silence. Cameron could hear the servos in his and the grey knights armor whir as they breathed in and out. The glare of the room became over bearing and the machine sat ominously in the middle of the room dead and quiet like the outside of the room. …Then foot steps.

Both Cameron and the justicar aimed their weapons at the door. Cameron ignited his red power sword. The foot steps got closer and louder. Then a voice called out.

"Cameron justicar? Its me Aaron don't shoot" the voice was followed by a pair of hands poking through the door then followed up by inquisitor Aaron. He was sweaty and bleeding from many minor cuts and one large gash across his arm.

"justicar I need you to go out and help your squad mates, they are mopping up the rest of the sorceress personally guard, I killed the sorcerer myself." Said the inquisitor motioning toward the door.

"yes inquisitor will you stay here with Cameron?"

"yes I will, you'll find your squad at the south end of the dome." Said the inquisitor turning back toward the door as the justicar walked past him.

Before another breath could pass before another heart beat could pound the justicar head turned to a blue ball of molten slag.


	9. Chapter 9 the end of a great man

Chapter 9

A great reckoning

The inquisitor stood behind the husk of empty armor. It once held a great man but now held nothing but a body, the soul gone forever vanquished, by the man they trusted most. The inquisitor lowered his plasma pistol, blue smoke still coiled from the end of the barrel and made a halo around the inquisitor. Cameron was shocked beyond beleife he couldn't think could understand so he did what instincts told him to. He drew a bead on the inquisitor with his bolt gun.

Aaron stared at the barrel of the bolt gun with little interest.

"you, you killed him" stammered Cameron gripping the bolt gun tighter in his grip. "you killed him you bastard!" shouted Cameron rage now overcoming his confusion.

"I did what I had to do" said Aaron waving with the pistol in a dismissive gesture.

"but. He was a man of the emperor just like you." Cameron was shaking by now just a slight tip from pulling the trigger and blasting this, man away.

"don't talk to me about the emperor!" snarled Aaron. "I toiled away in his name for years and I received nothing. Everything was taken from me and the dammed emperor never showed his face, where is he?" said Aaron shouting now and pacing over to the machine.

"where is that corpse of a man you call god?" his face was contorted with rage, spittle flying from his mouth.

Cameron had hear enough. He squeezed the trigger and the bolt gun bucked in his hands. The roar from the barrel was magnified because of the room, it sounded like the roar of god. But the inquisitor stood, unharmed un scathed surrounded by a shimmering field of energy.

"poor stupid boy" Aaron said lifting up a free hand.

Lighting flashed from that outstretched hand and blasted Cameron's grip on the bolter. His hand the bolter and his armor melted into one flowing thing Cameron fell to the floor dropping his captured power sword and curled into a ball as his molten stump began to cool.

"you think you can stop me? When the grand masters have failed, when I have tricked the ordeo heriticus? No one can stop me now, this machine is what will make me a god." He slapped the side of the machine and it began to rattle and pump. The pistons moved up and down and a metallic hammering could be heard inside it. Smoke belched from a stack on top and the whole machine vibrated.

"the inquisition will stop you" coughed Cameron through the pain of his hand.

" the inquisition?" shouted Aaron. " who do you think helped me here? Who do you think made the story of the necrons being controlled by the chaos? I have most of the interrogators and inquisitors in the helican sub sector waiting for me to give the signal." Aaron was pacing up and down the machine. As he was distracted Cameron slid over to his power sword.

Aaron spun on his heel and reached out with his mind. Cameron's insides felt like broken glass on fire. He tried to scream but blood spurted from his mouth. Twitching on the floor he was wracked with physic surges of pain. His suit tired to administer drugs to fight the pain but it wasn't his body but his mind that felt the pain. He began bleeding from his eyes his ears mouth and nose. He couldn't see anything any more and could only hear his heart beating in his chest. But Aaron stopped that to. For one lurching moment Cameron was in the calm of a great storm the pain died so suddenly only to be replaced by the inquisitors mind crushing Cameron's heart keeping it from beating making him spasm.

His eyes were still filled with blood and his ears with the absence of his heart beat when Aaron let him go. His mind was clear and suddenly the rush of drugs fro his suit hit him. His vision swam and it was hard to think. Aaron sent another wave of pain into Cameron's head.

"I want you alive to see this, my crowning achievement." Aaron was standing near the machine and Cameron could see a side door was open, black and ominous. A metal clang sounded from inside of it, then another and finally a third that brought a chrome foot out into the light. A chrome body followed with another heavy metal step.

What stood before Cameron was no machine from the adepts of mars and no necron, nothing so beautiful or cruel respectively. Instead it was fear incarnate. The body was smooth and rounded like the perfect physic of a man but there was a subtle wrongness to it. Where the metal muscles stood out Cameron could see offset lines, and instead of a right hand it had a claw with long nails crackling with energy. Around its metallic waist was what looked like a miscopied belt and scabbard holding a gleaming chrome sword. But what was most disturbing was the head. It was long and slender almost like a horses and ended in a blunt mouth with no lips so its metallic teeth were bared. In this head were set the eyes. Just LED's but behind them was a shimmer of intelligence self awareness. Life.

"little Cameron." Aaron mocked examining the machine with awe. "you seem so scared. Don't you like my new toy?"

"dam you to the warp Aaron!" said Cameron spitting out a mouth full of blood and scrabbling for his sword again.

"ah good" said Aaron as Cameron grabbed the sword and got back to his feet grimacing in pain as his stump flared up again even over all the drugs pumped into him. He swayed on his feet and ignited the sword. Red energy flared along the blade

"I hope you're a good fighter Cameron" said Aaron looking back at the machine man. "I did so want to test my toys power before a full scale invasion, of terra" he added the last bit with a sneer on his face. Cameron shuddered involuntarily.

"you will not leave this rock alive" promised Cameron.

Aaron looked at his "toy" and simply said "kill him"

The machine drew its chrome blade, the perfect smooth sides glinting the light. Then it lunged. There was super human speed behind the blow. Cameron brought his sword up to block just in time. Sparks flew across both blades but already the machine was spinning on the inside of his guard and plunged the blade again. Cameron jinked from the blow but was not quick enough. His armor split open along his side and the blade cut deep in his flesh.

Cameron ripped free of the chrome blade and rolled making blood splash out on to the floor.. before he could regain his footing the chrome beast was upon him again. The machine was to fast for Cameron. every blow from it was numbing his arms and the pain killers were fogging his mind.

He knew he was going to die.

The machine stabbed at Cameron again this time impaling him through the chest. Cameron spurted blood and began heaving and gasping for breath.

"enough" shouted Aaron "I want to kill him myself." Aaron stepped forward drawing a long power knife from under his belt. The blade glowed green with barley controlled power, the light cast shadows across Aarons face making his evil feral grin into a beastly shape.

Aaron grabbed Cameron by the back of the power armor and plunged the knife deep in his chest. The knife singed and burnt his insides and set his body on fire. Every motion of the blade was agony that the drugs could not compete with.

Aaron dragged the blade up and began forcing it over left slowly towards Cameron's heart. Cameron flailed around grabbing his belt pouches looking for a weapon any sort of weapon.

"how does it feel Cameron? that you know your going to die? I can feel you pain and your fear your hate, I can feel everything you think. You cant stop me. The only thing that has brought u this far has been luck." Said Aaron stopping to force his words into Cameron's brain with psychic waves. That remark was the inquisitors downfall.

Cameron reached behind him keeping the thought luck in his mind reaching for one of his back pockets unopened because he thought he would never need it. Cameron found what he was looking for, his bit of luck. Then with all of his might he wrapped round the inquisitor jamming the knife deeper into his chest. He then let go rocking back and kicking out with both his feet. Cameron could hear bones snap as his power armor practically crushed the inquisitors chest.

Aaron tumbled back and stopped rolling against the rumbling machine. He grabbed a leaver and pulled himself up to standing height lightning began to crackle around his fists and head. Arcs of pure energy blasted in random directions as Aarons full anger came to bear.

"you will pay for that you bastard." Aaron lifted both his arms aiming at Cameron the energy grew more and more powerful building up, the lights on the ceiling began to dim and the machine at Aarons back sputtered and coughed as he dragged power from all around him. Then the melta bombs 10 second fuse finished counting down.

A wave of blue venting power blasted out and was suddenly followed by the physic death throws of the alpha class psycher. The room went black and slowly began to flash in the white light of the glow globes as they tried to regain power. A fleshy mass of meat flew over Cameron and landed wetly on the floor behind him. As it flew it looked like it had the wrong number of limbs and the wrong amount of body. In the flashing Cameron could see the chrome machine take a step forward then another slowly advancing on Cameron now that Aaron was dead.

Cameron raised his arms in a feeble gesture to try and ward away the great machine. In response it squarely kicked Cameron in the face crushing his jaw and making him spill blood everywhere.

Before the machine could strike again a great golden power glaive burst through the machines chest. Sparks flew from the mechanical wound and the machine began to twitch. Behind that glaive was the grand master, his armor was scorched and he was missing his left arm from what looked like a plasma burn. He threw the machine from his glaive and looked down at Cameron.

" in the name of the emperor I claim the heriticus and take your life."

Cameron stared down the chrome twin barrels of the grey knights storm bolter strapped to his wrist, the thumb moved towards the firing stud. Cameron threw up his arms.

"wait!" the effort was amazing, his stump still smoked and his other arm he was sure was broken. "it wasn't me it was the inquisitor."

The grand master lowered his storm bolter a bit. Letting the vessel of death aim off of Cameron.

"you were part of the inquisitors betrayal, you were the only one he wanted saved from that planet. You were the only one he didn't kill out right. You Cameron are as much a heretic as that ball of molten flesh on the floor there." He raised the gun back up. Cameron still had his arms up, smoking stump and all.

"im not a heretic!" shouted Cameron. He began to recite the litanies of hate the prayers of protection, even the nursery rhymes he learnt as a little child. Anything that would signify his purity of heart. Cameron shouted them louder and louder still as the grey knight lifted his storm bolter again. Cameron curled into a ball and closed his eyes as he waited. The smoke from his stump filled his nose and his ears were beating with his own heart rhythm. Then he heard it. The loud harsh retort of a storm bolter. Cameron waited for the warm flow of pain as round after round blasted into his body and tore him apart. But instead nothing happened. There was no pain, no warmth no darkness just his horrible stench of his fused stump of a hand.

Cameron finally looked out of his ball and stared up into the grandmaster. Still standing there bolter raised and barrels smoking. But it wasn't pointed at him, Cameron looked at where it was pointing, behind him at the fleshy mass that had been the dead inquisitor arron until it had begun to crawl at Cameron with its power knife, now fused to its body, raised.

"we need to leave now, in precisely 15 minutes there will be a shuttle landing in the large open dome that we charged through, after that the whole planet will be virus bombed and left to burn." Said the grand master stooping down and scooping Cameron up.

Cameron looked back at the mess of the inquisitor as he used the great bulk of the grey knight as a crutch.

"so im no longer a heretic?" said Cameron with a grin on his face. The grey knight looked at Cameron though he doubted he could understand any sort of humor. Then the 2 set off. Cameron looping his handless arm over the grey knight and the grandmaster holding his power glaive in his one remaining hand that had the storm bolter strapped to it.

The trip back to the surface was short and quick it seemed. The voices had stopped and the sigils on the walls had stopped moving, at the heart of the planet there could be hear a rumbling. Something was killing the planet. When the two reached the big dome the drop ship was just touching down its wings spread and engines aimed at the ground kicking up dust and covering dead bodies and machines alike as if they had never been there.

The grand master began to jog to the ship but Cameron stopped and hobbled over to a pile of black dust.

"come quickly we have very little time!" he shouted. Cameron ignored him and brushed the dust away and rolled over a half a dead chaos marine to reveal what he was looking for. His black helm a deep gouge where the chain sword had hit it, one of the wings was half missing and the right optic eye was shattered. He scoped it up and ran full pelt to the ship. As soon as he swung his legs in the engines roared to life and blasted the ship back to space.

Cameron buckled himself in and looked back out the window below at the world as it disappeared. Suddenly blue flashes could be seen in rings around where the foul machine would have been. Apparently Cameron had hit something vital. He then sat back in his grav chair and began to laugh as fatigue began to roll over him like gentle waves.

The grandmaster looked at Cameron "what is so funny?" he said taking off his helmet revealing a blond head of short cropped hair and a face of scars.

"its just a little case of dejavue" he said then fell back into that beautiful warm embrace of sleep.


End file.
